Object Record

Object Name

Flag

Catalog Number

1989.36.01

Date

ca. 1863

Material(s)

Silk

Dimensions

H-17 W-13 inches

Description

This is scraps of a canton from a Kentucky guidon. It is blue silk with approximately twenty-nine gold stars which has a red trim. There is a strip of fabric that is a section of the canton and the field. There are scraps of three white and three red stripes. In addition there is a blue and white cord.

Notes

Some of our Civil War era flags are in terrible shape. A big reason for this is how they were originally made. Harsh dyes used to color fabrics (especially silk) resulted in the material breaking apart and shattering. Painted areas typically remain more intact but paint does not allow free movement of the fabric and thus contributes to the fracturing of adjacent areas.

Ironically wool and cotton flags, which were less expensive to produce, are far more stable than silk flags. These flags in our collection remain largely intact and in far better condition than their silk counterparts.

Many of the Civil War era flags in our collection cannot be physically displayed without causing further damage. KHS stores flags flat in a stable environment. Our goal is to slow the deterioration as much as possible.